[NOTE: IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT EACH FASHION TRIBE, START HERE]
When money is no object, it's fun to see what people buy - which is why I enjoy observing & commentating on the doings of this fashion tribe which I've dubbed the Supremiums. Being really rich means being able to afford to underwrite some pretty pricey performance art - like wantonly destroying a $100,000 red-croc Birkin handbag.
But any performance art worth being called art should provoke - annoyance, anger, outrage...the darker the emotions, the better (IMO). And this lil' stunt by celeb photog Tyler Shields and his GF Francesca Eastwood, the 19 year old daughter of Clint, cleverly spans the lot, not to mention generating an Hermes bag's worth of PR. The duo bought a lipstick red croc Birkin, a $200 chainsaw and $4 worth of gasoline. First, they chainsawed the bag & then set it alight, followed by another once-over with the chainsaw. "Destruction," notes Shields, "is a beautiful version of freedom."
He has a point.
We're a lot like the image at top, watching our Frankenlife go up in flames while we stand by - lips laquered the same ruby red as the bag, perfectly made up, elegantly coiffed. What to make of a society that waitlists a six-figure purse but lets nations starve, genocides occur, kills the oceans with disposable plastic and looks the other way when impoverished countries force legions of small children to work as sweatshop slaves? Why is destroying a frivolous status bag - which, I should mention, is made from crocodiles raised by Hermes specifically to be killed, dyed & turned into accessories - any more egregious than what we've collectively inflicted on ourselves, our society, our planet?
Actually, there is something satisfyingly "occupy Wallstreet" about it. It's also a genius way to up your profile, drive website traffic & create insta-buzz....so much so, I kinda wish I had thought of something similar.
"Do you want this bag?" Shield asks. "Are you sad to see me destroy it?"
No. Yes & no, both.
Check out my PODCAST about this SUPREMIUM TRIBE stunt:
Music: Brandenburg Concerto - Kevin MacLeod, Incompetech.com
- Lesley Scott
(via TMZ; pic of a croc destined for Accessoryland)
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